Arizona football (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) hosts its first Big 12 conference game against Texas Tech University (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Arizona Stadium on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. The Wildcats came off a commanding victory against the University of Utah in Salt Lake City which was the team’s first Big 12 matchup. The Wildcats will be looking to ride this momentum in a crucial matchup against a strong Texas Tech team.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are coming off of a three-game win streak against the likes of the University of North Texas, ASU and the University of Cincinnati. They barely escaped in their latest matchup against Cincinnati with a 44-41 victory at home. A back-and-forth matchup saw the Red Raiders start slow but eventually edge out the win with a crucial interception at the end of the third quarter.
Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks rushed for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. This makes him the sixth-best running back in yards in the country. The team’s quarterback Behren Morton also has been very effective, throwing for 1,426 yards so far this season, putting him in the No. 12 slot for passing in the country.
Texas Tech’s defense has been limited in most of its competitions. Overall, the defense has allowed 34.4 points per game, with their best defensive holding coming against North Texas where they held the Mean Green to 21 points. Texas Tech also struggled at handling passing offenses, allowing 1,547 yards so far this season.
Arizona
Coming off of a massive 23-10 victory over Utah, the Wildcats will be looking to bring this momentum home. Quarterback Noah Fifita started to show flashes of his old self during the victory over Utah, passing for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Tetairoa McMillan will certainly be looking to step up as well, after two late drops against the Utes. The passing game is where the Wildcats could excel against Texas Tech’s struggling defense. Keyan Burnett also showed himself as one of the best options for tight end for the Wildcats, with a 76-yard and touchdown performance.
The run defense for Arizona stood out against Utah’s running back Micah Bernard, limiting him to under 100 yards for only the second time this season.
Arizona’s pass defense also performed at their best against Utah with two crucial interceptions and a lockdown performance from Tacario Davis. Arizona’s goal-line defense kept the Ute’s out of the endzone and held them to just a field goal in their first three red zone drives.
Keys to Success
Arizona will need to hone in their offensive force to compete with a high powered Texas Tech offense. The defense also needs to be out in full once again. If the Wildcats can limit the Red Raiders’ offense, they can take home the win. If they hold Tahj Brooks like they held Micah Bernard, the Wildcats could expect a game similar to that of Utah.
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